Laura Roskowski-Nuttall - Bitumen, Bugs, and Bifaces: 40 years of Boreal Forest Archaeology in AB

Bitumen, Bugs, and Bifaces: 40 years of Boreal Forest Archaeology in Alberta
Laura Roskowski-Nuttall, Stantec Consulting Ltd.

Since deglaciation the Athabasca Oilsands region has been exploited by Precontact and Historic groups for its wide variety of resources including lithic raw material, diverse plant and animal communities and permanent watercourses used as travel corridors. Excavations conducted over the past 40 years by archaeologists in both cultural resources management and academia have uncovered assemblages that bear witness to the interesting and unique activities conducted by these groups. From the early studies at the Beaver Creek Quarry, to recent excavations within the Quarry of the Ancestors, data regarding the acquisition, subsequent reduction and distribution of Beaver River Sandstone has been recovered. Assemblages from satellite sites associated with these quarries, such as the Cree Burn Lake Site and Ronaghan’s Ridge have yielded over 40 dated bone features, formed and expedient tools of numerous raw material types, and spatial patterning that suggests that the area was used during both the summer and winter months. Historic sites in the region have produced cultural material indicative of the first European contact with local First Nations and with the early stages of oil production in the region. Together these sites demonstrate that this region has been a hub of activity from the Palaeoindian Period to present day.

Videography by Tim Carlielle.